Summer and the festive season are coming…and nothing says is quite like hydrangeas!*
Hello everyone,
I am delighted to invite you to our TWILIGHT GARDEN VISIT & AFTERNOON TEA on SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER. The last in our series of intimate garden events for the year, each has had its own unique atmosphere and by all accounts…the smiles have said it all!
Whilst those who came in mid-winter saw the skeletal form of the garden, visitors in early spring saw beautiful new-tip growth and fleeting blossom. Our mid-spring visitors (just last week) enjoyed all the pink and froth and perfume that mid-spring in the garden should be…whilst this next date will see the garden journeying well into its summer stride…the build-up coming at last to that fulsome moment…on the very brink of summer.
Timed to chime to within just days of Brigid Arnott’s beautiful photo shoot (at twilight of course!) for Country Style magazine last year…I thought it would be a tantalising opportunity for you to see the garden at that very same captivating moment (newly coloured hydrangeas and all). It’s one that usually only we and our family and friends get to enjoy (we tend to close the gates and pull up the drawbridge by then, as times past have shown that everyone is too busy to attend events and workshops) so it’s generally a very private time here.
Garden aside, goodness these garden visits have proved to make the most delightful excuse for your friends or family members to share some gentle time together…sitting on a bench, under a tree, on a picnic rug…having a natter…enjoying each other’s quiet company.
Here’s how I plan for this late afternoon / early evening visit to unfold:
4pm I’ll meet you at the Hayshed for a glass of refreshing elderflower cordial and give you a garden map (have a wander, get your bearings)
4.30/4.45 pm Time for a cuppa and a clutch of old-fashioned sandwiches in the Dairy (I think I’ll ask Anthia to make a batch of Lapsangsouchong to brew…it’s the time of year Larry and I switch from Earl Grey…there’s something summery about Lapsang that goes with cucumber (but we’ll have other teas too!)
5.00 pm I’ll open the Barn so you can enjoy that little frenzied session before the golden hour truly bathes the garden in its glow…
5.30 pm We’ll toll the bell for a scoop of Seville orange ice cream and a morsel of fresh fennel seed shortbread…you can wander with them and your spoon (as long as you return them to the Dairy for washing up!). It’s then, from this time, you’ll find the shadows lengthening, the heat dissipating, the colours intensifying, so just ramble, sit awhile…
7.30 pm We’ll aim to close the gates behind the last visitors
Of course at any point, I’ll be so happy to answer questions, so do take me to plants for identification, or ask whatever other questions you may have stored up!
All the details and the booking form are here and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If I were you…(when I do go out I like to cram in the most enormous amount!) I’d think to make an adventure of the day…perhaps visit the near South Coast or Southern Highlands if you’re a Sydney-sider…or even the Blue Mountains (we’re within easy reach of all) and come to us on the way back – you’ll miss all the traffic! If you’re from further afield…well…you’re used to going the extra mile at peculiar hours! Of course, the Wollondilly Shire has its own attractions – when was the last time you visited Warragamba Dam? Hmmm??? Or the Burragorang Lookout? It is positively spectacular! See Visit Wollondilly! Some of you might even consider extending your weekend by continuing on…go on…take the Monday off!
How I will look forward to seeing you here!
With very best wishes,
Mickey
*Image with thanks to Brigid Arnott (captured for Country Style Magazine, same time last year).
ps Don’t forget the LATE SPRING PERFUMERY & CANDLE MASTERCLASS on SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER. It is going to be scent-sational! Booking details here!
